


if i fly

by thishasbeencary



Series: yoi soulmate aus [6]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Fluff, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 10:39:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18444866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thishasbeencary/pseuds/thishasbeencary
Summary: When Sara runs into the woods outside of the castle and meets a girl with bright red hair, she doesn't think much of it when she disappears.When she's twenty-two, and the same girl appears with wings, she pays a little more attention.[Soulmate AU where one of the pair grows wings after meeting their soulmate.]





	if i fly

**Author's Note:**

> ahh i've been busy and haven't had a second to post this but here is my fic from prima donna <3 it's a super amazing zine and was for an amazing cause and i'm so glad to have taken part in it <333

There were many names for the winged guardians.

Some would call them protectors, guardians, angels. Others would say they were soulmates, fated pairs. Still others used the word that Sara had heard all of her life, partner.

Supposedly, it was impossible to know if you’d met your partner at the first meeting. It could be that nothing about them stands out at all; they’re the same as everyone else around you. However, once you separate, one half of the pair will grow wings, will become a protector for you, in whatever way you may need it. The universe makes sure that you meet, even if it seems otherwise impossible for that to happen. Even the most impossible situations become possible, in order to make sure that you and your partner have that first touch and, later, will be able to find each other again. It’s random, which member of the pair grows the wings. Some people hypothesized it was whoever would need them more, but there were so many cases where they were both perfectly equal, and still only one grew wings, or where it seemed that the person who needed the protection more was the one who grew wings.

The idea of the winged member of the pair being stronger was outdated, anyway. The whole point of the pairs was that they were equals.

Some people found it ridiculously romantic, the idea of finding someone fated to take care of you, but it didn’t need to be. Many siblings or parents became partners for each other, the best person to know exactly how to take care of another. Sometimes, it would be a partnership in the more romantic sense, and the idea of your partner being your soulmate was more believable than anything else.

All Sara knew was that her brother was not her protector, and he didn’t seem capable of figuring that out, despite the fact that they had been by each other’s sides their entire lives.

* * *

When Princess Sara Crispino was sixteen years old, she met the most unusual girl she’d ever seen.

She was walking through the gardens while Mickey was finishing his last meeting, separate from her only by the status of being the crown prince, as the elder of the two of them. She wanted to go to the meeting as well, since she’d likely be ruling by Mickey’s side, but they only wanted Mickey this time, which was… fine.

A walk through the gardens was something that would fill the hours and she didn’t feel bad doing without her brother – it was something she could do with no supervision at all. The gardens were fenced in and heavily guarded. No one from the outside could come into the gardens, and she and her brother were safe there, no matter what.

Which was why it was strange to see someone she didn’t recognize there.

Technically, at first, she didn’t see her.

Sara was walking with her eyes in the trees, reaching out to touch the leaves that were low enough for her to reach. Suddenly, she heard the noise of the leaves and sticks crunching, and Sara froze, backing up before breathing out. The worst that would be in the trees was Mickey (who usually called out to announce his presence), and it was probably just an animal. She had nothing to fear.

Still, just in case someone was there, she called out, “Who’s there?” The most she was expecting was one of her guards to step out from the trees.

Instead, a girl, probably younger than she was, stepped out from the trees, her hands held high. “I’m sorry!” she exclaimed, bowing deeply.

Sara stared at her – she’d never seen her before. The girl was wearing a fully black outfit, her shirt cropped so it didn’t quite reach the tight pants. Her bright red hair stood out against the trees, falling over her shoulders and behind her. It was tangled with leaves and sticks, like she’d been rolling through the gardens before Sara had caught her. There was something about her, something… strange.

“Who are you?” Sara asked, staying a few steps back from the girl, even though she didn’t seem to be a threat.

She stood up from the bow, looking at Sara and swallowing before saying, “Mila Babicheva.”

“Mila,” Sara repeated. “How… how did you get here?”

“I’m sorry,” Mila repeated. “I was… I was just walking around outside, and one of the guards saw me, so I snuck through the fence, and they haven’t seen me since, so I can’t leave, in case they see me.”

“You got past the guards?” Sara’s eyes widened, stepping forward, even though that should be exactly the opposite of her thoughts. If someone had snuck past the guards, there was the possibility of them being a threat. They should not be readily, excitedly approached. Still, Sara rushed forward. “How did you do it? My brother and I have tried to sneak into the market so many times, and even in disguise, we’re found!”

“I don’t know,” Mila admitted after a second, looking around. “I wasn’t really trying to get into the gardens, I know no one should come onto castle grounds without permission, but I just… got here, I guess.”

Sara’s shoulders fell, nodding her head. “That’s lucky. Mickey and I would love to explore the rest of the town some day.”

“Maybe I can still help you,” Mila offered. “If I can get past the guards again, I might be able to figure out how I did it this time, and I can take you and your brother with me! I can make sure that your disguises are good enough, too.”

“Really?” Sara asked excitedly, leaning forward. “What is it like, the market?”

“Crowded,” Mila answered. “I’m an apprentice to a blacksmith,” she explained, “so I go to the market almost every day with him to help him sell his stock. There are always a lot of people there, but there’s a lot to see.”

Sara’s eyes were wide as she listened. “There’s only ever a lot of people here when we have a ball, and I imagine that’s still entirely different from the number of people at a market.”

“If not number, at least kind of people,” Mila replied.

“Kind of people?” Sara asked. “I guess most nobles wouldn’t go to the market, but… I’ve never really thought of who does.”

“Yeah like… I mean, there are merchants, and there are consumers, but there are also just people there to wander or to start a fight. Not to mention thieves, but the guardians take care of much of that.” Mila shrugged.

“The guardians? Have you met your pair, yet? Have you met many guardians? Are their wings beautiful?” Many of her guards were partners, but the winged guards usually guarded the outside of the castle grounds, to ensure the most safety out there, and to their wingless partners within. She’d only ever seen her mother’s wings, and she knew that those were different, since they had been so perfectly groomed to appear more royal.

“Some are. Some are more plain. I don’t know what it depends on, but I’ve seen big wings and wings barely capable of flight. Some shine all the time, some are dull and boring. It just depends,” Mila answered.

“Wow,” Sara whispered. “I wonder what mine would look like.”

“Do you hope to have wings?” Mila asked, raising her eyebrows.

“I don’t care which of us have wings, but I wish I’d meet my partner. If only so my brother stops claiming it’s him,” Sara answered. She loved Mickey, and she loved to spend all of her time with Mickey, but he wasn’t her partner. It should have been obvious by now, even if neither of them were going to grow their wings until they were eighteen.

“How are you so sure?” Mila asked. “You’re both too young to be winged, aren’t you? Maybe he still is.”

Sara shook her head. “We’d know by now. There’s something about the… touch, where everything changes after that, even if the wings don’t immediately come.”

“Oh,” Mila said, nodding. “I had no idea.”

“Do you not know about partners?” Sara asked.

“Not everything. I don’t need to know everything about them yet, do I? Things will fall into place.”

“I guess so…” Sara said, though she’d always dreamed of meeting her partner and spent much of her free time learning all she could about winged partners**. She started to lean forward to ask something else when a voice interrupted them.

“Sara, are you in here?” Mickey’s voice sounded from the edge of the gardens. Sara looked at Mila with wide eyes.

“You need to leave. He won’t be as happy with a stranger in the gardens as I am. He’s… incredibly protective,” Sara whispered, turning her head toward the sound of her brother’s voice and his approaching footsteps.

“Will I see you again, your highness?”

“Sara, please,” Sara said, before shrugging. “I hope so. I want to talk more. Maybe you’ll be able to slip past the guards again?”

“I can try,” Mila agreed, bowing.

“Please, don’t,” Sara groaned, leaning down and taking Mila’s hands to help her up. Instead, a burst of electricity spread underneath her fingers and Mila staggered back, staring at her hands, her eyes wide.

“Maybe it was just… static,” Mila said, though she looked as unconvinced as Sara did when she looked down at her hands again.

They didn’t have time to try to understand, though, because they could hear Mickey’s footsteps getting nearer. “Sara! Father said it’s time to eat, we need to go in. The guards said you were in here.”

Sara took Mila’s hands again, squeezing gently this time, breathing out when there wasn’t another shock between them. “Please try to find your way back.”

“I’ll do what I can, Sara,” Mila said before she disappeared into the trees, probably heading out of the gardens altogether.

“Sara!” Mickey exclaimed when he saw her sitting on the ground, rushing forward to help her up. “What happened, why are you on the ground?”

“I just fell, Mickey, I’m fine!” Sara promised, standing and brushing dirt off of her skirt. “I’m sorry for not responding, I was on my way back to you, and wasn’t sure how far away you were.”

“It’s fine,” Mickey answered, immediately taking her hand into his own. “Let’s just go in for lunch.”

Even without the electric charge, something about his touch was very different from Mila’s.

Even though Mila had promised to try and help them both, Sara decided not to mention her to Mickey, in fear that he’d never let her back into the gardens to see Mila again.

* * *

As it turned out, Mickey’s opinion of Mila wouldn’t matter. Sara ventured alone into the gardens day after day for weeks, but there was no sign of her, no matter how hard she looked.

After a month, Sara gave up her search, and after a year, she hardly recalled meeting Mila at all.

* * *

Sara and Mickey turned eighteen in a great celebration, paraded around the kingdom and then a grand ball, inviting all of the nobles for a night to remember. The kingdom loved it, to see their royal children grown up and come of age, dressed nicely and shown off for the world to see. More importantly for Sara, it was a chance to prove something.

Neither of them grew wings. Mickey acted like it was some great outrage, but Sara was just glad to finally know she was right. Still, she reached out to take Mickey’s hand.

“Just because we’re not partners doesn’t mean that we can’t protect each other, Mickey,” she said softly to her brother, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked through the parade route. “We’ll rule by each other’s sides, won’t we?”

“I don’t like the idea of someone else being more impo - ” Mickey cut off, waving out into the crowd and Sara stared at him curiously. “Being a protector for you,” Mickey mumbled, staring petulantly into the crowd, refusing to make eye contact.

Sara rolled her eyes. “That’s not even the point, and you know it, Michele. They’re not a protector for me, it’s a partner. And maybe I’ll be the one with the wings, anyway. I’m sure it will work out fine.”

“I need to approve of them.” Mickey waved at the crowd, a princely look on his face even though Sara knew he wanted nothing more than to frown.

She pasted a bright smile on her own face, leaning forward and greeting the people with an expression she was only half faking. She did like to see her people, but right now… Now wasn’t the time for it. “You don’t get to choose.”

She ran her gaze over the gathered throng, barely making eye contact with one person before she was looking somewhere else. Her eyes caught momentarily on a girl with bright red hair.

Something about her was… familiar.

* * *

Years continued to pass, with no sign of either of their partners. Mickey claimed it must be a fluke, that one or the other of them would grow their wings soon.

Sara dreamt of a girl with bright red hair and shining white wings, dreams she could never quite remember in the morning.

* * *

“Mickey,” Sara exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. “Do we really have to do this today? Please?” They were holding a ball in celebration for their parents’ anniversary. She grabbed her crown from the table, walking over to the mirror and sitting in front of it. She’d already gotten dressed for the night and gotten her hair done, this was all that was remaining. She slid the crown carefully onto her head and turned it back and forth to make sure that it laid flat.

“I don’t see why you’re so upset,” Mickey responded, and Sara held herself back from rolling her eyes. She loved her brother, of course she did, but some of the things he said… there was no way to avoid it grating on her nerves. Instead, she just crossed her arms over her chest.

“I don’t want to go together, Mickey. We’re twenty-two now, you should be trying to find your partner, and so should I. Neither of us have wings, and we’ve had four years for it to happen. I don’t think it’s going to at this rate. We can’t be partners, we would know by now.” Sara gestured behind herself, to empty space that would be filled with shining feathers if they were partners. Behind Mickey was the same.

“Why does that stop us from going to the ball together?” Mickey asked. “That way, I can keep you away from anyone that you shouldn’t meet –”

“Why do you know any better than I do who I shouldn’t meet!?” Sara snapped, instantly catching herself and covering her mouth in contrition. She didn’t want to yell at her brother, she didn’t want to be mad at him. She just wanted him to understand. They couldn’t go to the ball together because Sara didn’t want to. She didn’t want everyone to know that Mickey would be at her side the whole night. It was unlikely that he would leave her side, but at least if they entered separately, she might be able to slip away from him for a little bit. She might be able to find…

No, that was a fantasy. She shouldn’t even complete the thought.

“I’m your brother,” Mickey argued back, which, of course, was his entire argument. “And I am the crown prince.”

“And I’ve been having all of the same training that you have, Mickey. Please. Just tonight. If I talk to someone you find unfavorable, you can watch me more closely next time. Just let me have this one night just to myself, please.” Sara was probably selling her soul to her brother saying this. It was unlikely he’d approve of anyone she spoke to, especially if he thought there was a chance of them being romantically interested in her.

“You promise?” Mickey looked suspiciously at her and Sara nodded her head.

“Please, Mickey,” she begged again, looking up at her brother with wide eyes. After another moment, he nodded, waving for her to walk past. “Thank you so much!” She rushed forward to wrap her arms around him, burying her face against her chest.

A night to herself. What was the probability of Mickey actually sticking to that promise?

* * *

Noblemen and women filled the ballroom, people Sara had never even met before. She walked between them all, accepting well wishes. As she wasn’t the focus of the ball, she was able to blend in a little more and only have extended conversations with whoever she wanted to talk to. She mostly stuck to friends and allowed people to come to her if she didn’t want to speak to them.

After a few hours of talking, she spotted Katsuki Yuuri in the crowd, standing alone. She and Yuuri had been fairly friendly with each other due to being amiable kingdoms, so she walked up to him with a smile. “Yuuri! We’re glad you’re here.”

“Sara!” Yuuri walked up to her and she smiled, approaching him as well and greeting him with a hug. “You and Michele are doing well?”

“Yes! The party tonight is really nice, I’m glad that you and Lord Nikiforov could make it,” Sara answered, smiling at him. “We had a lot of fun when we went to your wedding party, so I’m glad you could be here for the celebration of our parents’.”

“Vitya was happy to see the invitation,” Yuuri said with a smile.

They had barely started the conversation before Sara felt a hand on her shoulder and turned, her face darkening when she realized it was just her brother.

“Excuse me, sir. I need a moment with my sister.” Mickey grabbed her arm and tugged her away from Yuuri, pulling her into a more isolated corner of the ballroom.

“What are you doing?!” Sara hissed, squirming away from her brother. “We had an agreement! And the agreement was that you’d let me be alone tonight, Mickey!” she exclaimed, shoving her brother off with frustration.

“I don’t like him,” Mickey hissed back at her and Sara threw her hands in the air.

“Why not?” Sara asked, crossing her arms over her chest, refusing to let Mickey grab a hold of her again.

“He was flirting with you!” Mickey answered and Sara laughed aloud, shaking her head.

“Katsuki Yuuri, flirting with me? Mickey, he’s happily married to Lord Nikiforov, and you know that,” Sara sighed. “You need to calm down.”

“I don’t need to do anything!”

“Mickey! You’re overreacting.”

“I just think it would be better if we stuck together tonight,” Mickey said. The calm in his voice made her want to tear her hair out more than if he had said it wildly.

“I disagree,” she answered, and before he had time to react, she ran.

She kicked her heels off of her feet and lifted her skirt up to let her move faster, dashing into the forest. As she reached the entrance of the castle, she grabbed a lantern from its post and continued to run. She only dared to stop once she was sure that she had lost Mickey. It was dark and she hadn’t thought this through, her breath coming far too quickly. She stumbled a little, holding onto a tree to catch her breath.

“Your majesty,” a voice whispered from the trees, “I don’t think you’re supposed to be here.”

From above, a figure fell out of the trees. No, she wasn’t falling… she was flying. A woman, close to Sara’s age, with bright white wings outstretched behind her. She landed in front of Sara, taking a few elegant steps forward, standing only a little ahead of her. She was dressed in a loose black dress, her red hair falling only to her shoulder.

“How did you know I was here?” Sara whispered, stepping backwards. Was this an attack? The woman’s voice hadn’t sounded particularly threatening, but it wasn’t like that meant anything. Anyone could be rearing to attack, and Sara was a prime target. She made a target of herself, coming into the woods so late at night. She should have known better, but she had to get away from Mickey and –

“Do you not recognize me?” The woman’s wings settled lower, resting gracefully against her back. She still looked intimidating as hell, lit only by Sara’s lantern and the light of the moon breaking through the trees. “I thought what we had was special, Sara.”

The way that the woman whispered her name was… so familiar, in such a strange way. Sara couldn’t place that voice, no matter how hard she tried. “I’m sorry, I don’t know,” Sara said, maintaining eye contact with her.

“Mila Babicheva.” As she spoke, she arched her wings over her head again, showing off the full length of them, the huge feathers and elegant curves of the appendages. “We met when we were young.” She bowed low, the wind from her wings blowing out Sara’s candle.

Or maybe that was just Sara’s breath. “Mila,” she repeated, stepping forward. The woman held her place, her head angled high and proud again. “Last I saw you, we were barely teenagers. And you didn’t have…”

“Wings?” Mila supplied, extending a hand to Sara. Sara took it, stepping toward her. “It’s what happens when you’re a guardian. I thought you knew about this,” she teased.

“I just didn’t expect… you,” Sara said breathlessly, looking up at Mila. “I had almost forgotten you were even real.”

“Does this convince you?” Mila asked with a soft laugh.

Sara nodded, wrapping her arms around Mila with a loud exhale. “What took so long?”

“I couldn’t get back through. And then tonight, security was more focused on the front entrance, and I slipped through the sky and just… waited. I didn’t think I’d see you. Why are you here?”

Sara sniffled, wrapping her arms around herself. “Mickey,” she said entirely in explanation before rubbing her hands against her eyes. “He’s so protective of me, and it’s nice, I do love him, I just… I asked for one night without him, and he still followed me around and acted like he was in charge of my every move. Tried to stop me from talking to a friend because he was worried he wasn’t good for me, or something like that. I just… it’s hard.”

“I assume that means he still wants to be your guardian?” Mila asked, sitting at the base of the tree. Sara sat beside her, shivering lightly, and Mila wrapped a wing around her to keep her warm. Sara leaned against her body.

“Of course he does. And sometimes I wish he was because he does know me best, but… obviously, there’s someone better.” she answered.

“Did he follow you out here?” Mila asked softly. Sara shrugged, looking through the trees.

“I sort of just… ran, so I wouldn’t be surprised.” She looked up, watching for any signs of her brother. While he wasn’t immediately visible, that didn’t mean that he hadn’t followed her.

“Then he’ll see me,” Mila said. “And he’ll have proof.”

“Sara!”

“Is that…”

“That’s him,” Sara confirmed, sitting up slightly. “I’m here!” she called out.

Mila kept her wing wrapped around her, watching through the trees. Mickey stumbled forward, not having come out here nearly as much as Sara did. When he saw the two together, his mouth fell open. “Who… how… Sara?”

“This is Mila,” Sara said softly, standing up and offering Mila her hands to stand as well. “We met when we were children, but I never told you because I was sure you wouldn’t want me to talk to her.”

“And her wings?” Mickey asked, his eyes wide.

“Because of Sara,” Mila answered, standing with them protectively spread behind her.

“I… you knew?” He looked to Sara with betrayal in his eyes and she shook her head.

“I’d sort of forgotten we’d even met. She was here after I ran.” Sara grabbed her lantern from the ground, holding it between them to light all three people in the trees.

“We should tell Mother and Father,” Mickey said faintly. Sara nodded and reached out to grab Mila’s hand.

* * *

“It’s odd,” Sara said, turning to look at herself in the mirror. “That all pairs live differently. Some are family, friends. Some are romantic. It’s nice, you know? It’s not defined, our relationship can be whatever we want it to be.”

“It’s just like you to like something like that,” Mila laughed, lounged on Sara’s bed with her wings spread wide behind her. “Fantasies of freedom and romance and grand friendship abound, I guess.”

“I’ve just never really thought about it before you, how many possibilities there were. Our relationship could be… anything.” Sara finally stepped away from the mirror, adjusting her crown one last time. Mila stepped off of the bed, hovering just slightly off of the ground. “Since you found me, I’ve imagined it so many ways.” She fell silent after that, turning toward the windows.

Mila moved forward, reaching out to take her hand. Sara turned, a blush on her cheeks, and looked into her eyes. Mila stared at her curiously. “How do you envision our relationship?”

“I was… hoping we might be a little closer than friends,” Sara answered, tilting her head up. Mila landed back onto the ground and kissed her, her wings wrapping around both of their bodies and shielding them from the world. Sara smiled, wrapping her arms around her waist and melting in the feeling of Mila’s soft feathers around herself.

Mickey would come and get them when they were needed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos/comments/bookmarks are always appreciated - i love your thoughts!
> 
> i'm on tumblr at [yoyoplisetsky](http://yoyoplisetsky.tumblr.com) and twitter at [thishasbeencary](https://twitter.com/thishasbeencary) if you want to follow me or talk! <3


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